'That message may seem unimpeachable'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'The two-word phrase unleashing chaos at the NIH'
Katherine J. Wu at The Atlantic
The "phrase scientifically justified appeared several times in a statement by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya," and "NIH-backed studies should be justified in scientific terms," says Katherine J. Wu. But the "demand that Bhattacharya lays out has no formal criteria attached to it." Scientific justifiability is "imprecise at best and, at worst, a subjective appraisal of research that invites political meddling." The "insistence that 'scientifically justifiable' research will be allowed to continue feels especially unconvincing in 2025."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'How Meta became uniquely toxic for top AI talent'
John Herrman at Intelligencer
While the "market for star AI engineers is extremely hot, the truly exceptional offers are only coming from one company: Meta," says John Herrman. Other "firms are fighting to retain their AI talent, of course, but none are matching Mark Zuckerberg’s nine-figure bids." Meta is a "strange reputational outlier: a company with high ambitions and near-infinite resources that apparently needs to outbid its competition by multiples." And "most of all, its models aren't competitive."
'Free cash to poor families isn't helping the kids'
Naomi Schaefer Riley at The Boston Globe
Does "having more money make it easier to raise children? Intuitively, the answer would seem to be yes," says Naomi Schaefer Riley. But a "study found that unconditional cash transfers of $333 to low-income mothers beginning shortly after their child's birth did not affect the child's development by age 4," and "this data comports with other evidence on the effect of money on parenting." Having "more money doesn't reduce the stress of parenting, because parenting is inherently stressful."
'Miami gives the GOP a chance to prove conservatism protects the American Dream'
Mary Anna Mancuso at the Miami Herald
Miami residents are facing the "erosion of property rights, individual liberty and the American dream itself," says Mary Anna Mancuso. Trump "voters are watching their property investments — their slice of the American dream — slip away." Politicians "who are serious about representing the working class should be alarmed. I'm looking at you, GOP." If the "GOP wants to remain the working-class party, it must deliver on issues voters care about — affordability and opportunity."
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
‘Every argument has a rational, emotional and rhetorical component’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Conspiracy theories about her disappearance do a disservice’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘This isn’t just semantics’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
‘Criminals aren’t waiting for Congress to act’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
‘Used correctly, the drug is safe’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘People may use the same tactics for very different reasons’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day